Open Letter to my Innocent Children

To my Dear, Sweet Abigail and to the Little One still waiting for your time in the Sun,

America is weird.

This unusual country that God has seen fit to place our family was founded on the principle of Free Will. You see, most other countries from the beginning of time until our founding in the year 1776 did not allow people to choose their own leaders. There were Kings and Emperors who were in charge… some through Divine appointment, but most came to power by doing evil things.

There had been people who talked and thought about a government “of the people, by the people, and for the people” before 1776. And there were places that experimented in types of democracy. But our Founding Fathers took those thoughts and limited experiments and created a country and government like no other before it.

Now, many of our Founders believed in the God of the Bible, like we do. Some also believed that Jesus Christ was the Son of God and the Savior of the world. There were a few who did not believe this… but even they believed in a Higher Power.

What they all believed was that God had given Free Will to Man.

Since God allows each person to choose their path here on Earth, our Founders thought that Man should also be allowed to choose their own government; their own leaders.

And so, America was born. She is the Great Experiment of self-government in the world.

I say all this to sadly come to the conclusion that our experiment is starting to fail.

Things change with each new generation. The America that your mother and I inherited from your grandparents was very different from the America that your grandparents inherited. The America that my generation is leaving to you two and your peers will be even more different.

Different is not always bad. There have been good changes from generation to generation. There was a time in America when Slavery existed. Our country fought a terrible and gruesome war and eventually black people were freed from their chains and allowed to be Free like God intended. Over time, as generations passed, even though they were no longer slaves, people in this country still treated African-Americans badly. But we have slowly changed that and now black people have the same opportunities as everyone else in this country. That change is a very good thing.

There also was once a time when women were not allowed to vote. Abigail, I am proud to say that you will always have the opportunity to vote as long as this country survives. That is another wonderful change that one generation passed on to future generations.

But with the good, there is always bad.

The only good thing my generation will give you all is nifty gadgets. You see, new Technology is a pretty good thing in general. But my generation hasn’t really created any new and beneficial technology. Instead we have refined great advances that others made before us. So, you can have a cool phone that is more than a phone. You are welcome. Unfortunately we haven’t provided you with any important advances that will actually improve your life. We are a lazy and pathetic generation, and our inability to live up to the promise of previous generations will be part of our eternal shame.

But, while we haven’t really given you any good changes, we have certainly gone beyond the call of duty and provided you with more bad things than any other generation has ever handed to their children.

I hope and pray that things will improve before we hand off the reins to you, but it appears that the Destiny of my generation is to bring this country to the brink of destruction. God is allowing this, so it seems it is His will. Perhaps he is looking to test you. My most heartfelt desire is that He would spare you and make my generation suffer. We have turned our back on Him and it is our feet that need to be held to the fire. And to be sure, my generation will suffer a little bit, simply as a natural consequence of our bad national decisions.

But, my generation will not be able to save this country.

It will be up to you.

The only way you can rescue America for future generations is to fall on your knees before a Holy God and repent from the injustices and evil that my generation has allowed. And even then, it may indeed be God’s Will that this country should cease to exist. Whatever He wills, know that He loves you and is in control. What He desires most is for you to know Him and to depend on Him for everything. It could be that the destruction of America is simply the only way people here could get back to Him. And if that is the case, I apologize again on behalf of my crappy generation. We should have sold ourselves out to the message of the Gospel and lived lives that reflected His light. Instead, we lived for ourselves and helped bring about the need for God’s corrective action.

Not all suffering is a rebuke from the Almighty. In fact, most daily trials are given to us simply so that we put our faith in God and learn to focus more on Him. The book of James explains why we should rejoice in our daily sufferings. But there do come times when a people have drifted so far away from the love of God that He needs to get their attention in a mighty, terrible, and unmistakable way. God delivered the ancient Kingdom of Israel into the hands of the Babylonians. It looks like he is delivering America into our own hands. He is letting us choose our selfish path away from Him and allowing us to see where that leads us.

I see no other explanation for what happened yesterday, November 6, 2012. God simply said, “OK, if you wish to ignore me, I will let you have exactly what you want”.

You see, yesterday, this country was at a great crossroads. We have faced similar choices before. In fact, 32 years ago we had a choice much like the one we had yesterday. When I was about 19 months old in 1980, America was in a time of great economic and spiritual turmoil. The country had a choice to continue on with a President whose ideas and policies had only made things worse… or they could make a change and go in a new uplifting direction. 32 years ago, your grandparents made the right choice. This country elected a man whose leadership and vision for America to be the Shining City on a Hill brought about good things for everybody.

In the midst of our Blessings from that time, America started to turn back away from God and follow their own selfish desires. Eventually, we found ourselves at another major crossroads in November of 2012.

Abigail, when you were almost 18 months old, America had a choice between a President whose ideas and policies had only made things worse… or we could have chosen to forge a new path of cooperation for a stronger future.

I am sorry to say, Abigail and Little One, that your parent’s generation made the wrong choice.

And so, God has delivered us into our own hands and we will suffer the consequences… and you, my innocent children will suffer even more.

So, when things get really bad, (after you have rightfully cursed my generation) I beg of you to not make the same mistakes we made. The pursuit of wealth at the cost of our souls was the beginning of our undoing. We Christians pretended we were holy and retreated into our churches while allowing injustice to thrive all around us. We pointed fingers at the very real specks in other people’s eyes while ignoring the obvious and substantial logs in our own. We pretended that the City of God and the City of Man could be the same thing and allowed ourselves to be corrupted by the world’s system.

And when I say we… I mean I. Your father was part of the problem that led us to need a national rebuke. I can only beg your forgiveness and promise that you will be raised in a household that puts God first and does not ignore the needs of others. This focus for our family will not change the path this country is on. But, it will hopefully give you the tools you need to survive the coming crises. Love God first, and put other people before yourself. Your Mother is much better at doing those things than I am. I try, but usually fail in big ways. But, now it has become clear to me that selfishness like mine has cost you a better America. So, your Daddy needs to change. Both of your parents will set good examples for you and guide you on the path to walking in God’s will.

It’s not going to be easy for you. You will be forced to live a simpler and harder life because of the actions, inactions, and bad choices of my generation. But never forget that God is in control. Build your lives on the rock of Jesus Christ. Let yourselves be filled with the Holy Spirit.

By the time you are old enough to read and understand this, I promise that it will not be the first or the last thing you have read from me. My heart cries out with the hope that there will be many more happy and good things I will write you, as opposed to the sobering and unpleasant reality dripping from this letter. I am going to write to you about love and contentment… about the struggles and ultimate triumphs of this family… about laughter and silliness. But, most importantly, I look forward to telling you God’s story some day soon.

But, for now, this is the message I have for you because of what happened on November 6, 2012. We re-elected a man who has a vision for this country that will lead it to ruin. Under him, Government will finally and forever replace God in the hearts and minds of too many citizens here. You will have to fight for what is right and never bow down to worship the State. Just remember, we are strangers in an even stranger land. For, our true citizenship is in Heaven. We are just passing through. That doesn’t mean we are to separate from the world and hunker down in Bible bunkers. No, God has a purpose for each of us here. Individually that purpose can take on many different specifics. Collectively, we are called to bring glory to God by living for Him and helping others.

We are handing you a broken America which may be beyond fixing.

Hold onto the only true hope… Jesus Christ.

Darling Abigail and sweet yet-to-be named Little One, your mother and I love you with all of our hearts. But our love for you is nothing compared to how much God loves you. During the coming storms and bleak times in this country, Mommy and Daddy will hold you safe in our arms for as long as we are allowed. Be comforted in knowing that even safer than that, God holds everything in His loving hands.